Harleyford Manor
Harleyford Manor is a country house near Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
The house is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England, and its gardens are also listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The urn to the south west of the house, the ice house to the north east, and the dairy to the north, and the temple to the north east are all listed Grade II.
In addition to the buildings, two statues of Robert Clayton, to the west and to the east of the house, are also listed Grade II.
History
The house was designed by Sir Robert Taylor in the Georgian style and built for William Clayton, a Member of Parliament, in 1753. The house remained in the Clayton family until 1950. The present owners, who have owned the property since 1952, converted the property to office use in 1988. They operate a large marina and offer boat mooring services but plan to convert the property into flats.The Clayton family
The Clayton family who owned Harleyford Manor from the time it was built in 1753 until 1950 were notable wealthy landowners. William Clayton who was the originator of the house was the second son of Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet. He was a Member of Parliament for Bletchingley from 1745 to 1761, and for Great Marlow from 1761 to 1783.He frequently entertained at Harleyford Manor and there are several historical documents which record these occasions. In 1759 Elizabeth Montagu, the notable social reformer made the following comments:
The Royal family were also visitors to the house. In 1780 a letter records that the King, Queen, Princesses and Princes all visited Harleyford Manor. The King and Queen at this time were George III and Queen Charlotte. Two years later Queen Charlotte records a recent visit that she made to Harleyford Manor. She said.
File:Sir William Clayton circa1800.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sir William Clayton 4th Baronet (1762-1834